From 7 to 12 June 2026, the 6th World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM – World Apostolic Congress on Mercy) will take place in Vilnius, inviting believers and people of good will to come together for prayer, reflection, encounters and dialogue, to renew the understanding of how to bear fruitful witness to God’s mercy in today’s world.
The Congress is organised by the Dicastery for Evangelization of the Holy See in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Vilnius. Among the participants are bishops, priests, consecrated persons, community leaders, lay Catholics, families and young people who wish to contribute to developing a culture of mercy in their communities. About 5,000 participants from all over the world are expected at the Congress.
This year’s theme – “Building the City of Mercy” – invites reflection on the mission of the faithful to build communities that live in the spirit of the Gospel, that are able to overcome loneliness and individualism, and to commit themselves to caring for others through concrete works of love, words and prayer.
The programme of the Congress includes Holy Masses, communal prayers, lectures and testimonies, meetings related to the Congress theme throughout the city, exhibitions, films and a cultural programme. The Congress begins on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ with a Eucharistic procession to the main venue and ends on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with prayer for peace and fraternity between peoples and nations.
For the first time, the Congress of Mercy will take place in Vilnius – a city with a unique place in the history of Divine Mercy. It was in Vilnius that Saint Faustina Kowalska lived, and it was here that her confessor, Blessed Michal Sopoćko, guided her; here the first image of The Divine Mercy was painted, and here Jesus dictated word for word to Saint Faustina the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
The main events of the congress will take place on the Hill of the Savior, near the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In this place, the message of Divine Mercy has been proclaimed for more than three centuries: here worked missionaries of the congregations of the Visitation and of Saint Vincent, who carried out many works of mercy for the benefit of the city’s inhabitants; in 1934 the first image of The Divine Mercy was painted here. During the Soviet era, the Visitation monastery and the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus were turned into a prison. Through the Congress of Mercy, this place will once again become a place of prayer, reconciliation, and hope.
“God is the architect of the City of Mercy, and we are His co-workers. I invite everyone to come to Vilnius to experience God’s mercy and to become witnesses of it.”
Gintaras Grušas, Archbishop of Vilnius
Download the congress programme in Estonian (PDF)
To participate in the congress, advance registration via the official website is required: www.wacomvilnius.org Participation is subject to a fee; the participation fee is used to cover organizational costs. Questions and assistance: Fr. Edgaras, [See e-posti aadress on spämmirobotite eest kaitstud. Selle nägemiseks peab su veebilehitsejas olema JavaSkript sisse lülitatud.]
